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The New Orleans Saints earned a much-needed victory over the New York Giants as they broke a three-game losing streak.
Now, the Saints are in Paris as they turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers to win consecutive games for the first time this season. However, it will be a tough task: Pittsburgh still has a solid quarterback in Aaron Rodgers at 42, and the offense has plenty of weapons; on defense, they have a solid pass rush.
After fully reviewing the Saints’ win over New York and looking at which players have been trending upward, here are three players whose stock is rising.
LB Isaiah Stalbird
The Saints historically produce standout special teams performers, including Morten Andersen, Michael Lewis, and Steve Gleason.
Linebacker Isaiah Stalbird has continued that tradition this year, keying special teams unit success and executing the decisive sequence of the game.
Down 10-3 late in the second quarter, New Orleans seemed poised for a halftime deficit before Stalbird made a game-altering play on coverage.
The second-year backer stripped the ball from Charlie Jones on a kickoff return, which tight end Oscar Delp recovered to set up New Orleans inside the red zone.
Shough converted the takeaway into points, finding rookie Bryce Lance for a game-tying touchdown right before the break.
That turnover shifted game momentum entirely and helped spark a 31-point unanswered run that gave New Orleans a 34-10 lead before the Giants mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback.
CB Martin Emerson Jr.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. posted his top outing of the year in the 34-27 victory, accumulating seven tackles, two interceptions, and four pass breakups.
His effort earned an 88.4 defensive rating and a 90.2 coverage rating from Pro Football Focus, leading all team defenders in Week 6. Emerson was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Emerson held opponents to four catches on 10 targeted passes while picking off throws from Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy. The performance provided valuable depth after Kool-Aid McKinstry exited due to a migraine.
OL Jeremiah Wright
Rookie guard Jeremiah Wright capitalized on unexpected playing time against New York, filling in when starter Cesar Ruiz left with a knee injury in the second quarter.
If one thing is certain, the run game started to click when Wright went into the game as he added toughness to the interior line, anchoring a run game that piled up a season-best 175 yards. If you want to know how much of an impact Wright had? When the Saints ran to the right, they averaged just over 5 yards per carry. When they ran to the left? 3.1-yards a clip.
The fourth-round selection surrendered just a single QB pressure in his most extensive action of the season.
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